


Something Just Like This

by Elizabeth_Dicewielder



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Airplane Meet Cute, Fluff, M/M, Modern AU, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22164166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elizabeth_Dicewielder/pseuds/Elizabeth_Dicewielder
Summary: Sirius distracts Remus from his fear of flying
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 132
Collections: WDS Airplane AU





	Something Just Like This

**Author's Note:**

> I originally wrote this on Tumblr for @withrewings’ birthday with a recording of the song Something Just Like This by Coldplay & The Chainsmokers. Looking back on it I’m not sure why I chose that song because the lyrics don’t relate much, but I suppose the general feel suits the story

Remus gripped his book, tight enough to make his knuckles turn white. Even the yellowed pages of _Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ couldn’t calm him, the words jumbling together in his brain to form a thick sludge that only served to worsen his nerves.

There were many things that Remus didn’t like. Loud parties. Homework. Having a chaotic sleep schedule, not that that seemed likely to change any time soon. Chocolate that wasn’t dark enough. Airplanes were at the top of that list. And he was going to be on a plane for the next 10 hours. 

Why his parents had thought it was a good idea to ship him off to America to visit relatives when he had motion sickness and a fear of heights was beyond him. He had never been out of the UK before, and he had certainly never been on a plane without his parents. But sure. Send the anxious terrified teenager on a plane to spend two weeks with people he had never met before. Great plan.

The only good thing about this entire experience was that he had the aisle seat and only one person would be sitting next to him. He just hoped whoever would be sitting there wasn’t weird. Better yet, he hoped no one was sitting there at all.

He readjusted in his seat, trying to get comfortable. Airplane seats really were terrible.

The boarding process was taking forever. People shuffled past him, shoving their bags of all shapes and sizes into the overhead compartments. It was only when the final group was called onto the plane that someone finally scooted past into the seat beside him. 

The boy sitting next to him looked around his age. His long black hair was braided down his back and he possessed a face probably sculpted by the gods. He wasn’t weird or creepy, just cute, which was so very much worse.

Remus’ palms started sweating. He stuffed his book into his backpack to keep it from somehow getting damaged, though he doubted that was really possible.

The stranger pushed his backpack under the seat in front of him, then turned toward Remus. “Hi.”

“Hi.” Why did this have to be happening?

The handsome boy grinned, cocking an eyebrow. “You don’t like flying, do you?”

Remus laughed nervously. “Is it that obvious?”

He just gave him a look. Yes. Yes it was. 

“So... you are?” he asked. Wow, he was terrible at conversation.

“Sirius,” the stranger said. “Nice to meet you. Your name?”

“I’m Remus.”

“Well, Remus, I think—“

He was cut off by the speaker. The flight attendants had started going through the safety procedures, and Remus tried to pay attention. Really, he did, but the only concept his mess of a brain could process was fear. Well, that and the fact that Sirius was sitting next to him.

Suddenly the plane started moving, driving along the runway, picking up speed. Remus’ heart beat faster, his nerves going haywire. His stomach roiled.

“There’s another thing I should tell you,” he said. “I get motion sick.”

“Good to know. If anything happens I’ll make sure you don’t vomit on anyone but yourself.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “My hero.”

Sirius just winked.

Ah yes. Because more butterflies in his stomach was exactly the kind of thing Remus needed right now.

The plane started ascending. Remus’ stomach plummeted. The pressure shoved him down, down, down, until he felt like he was going to crumple from the sheer force of gravity. He started breathing fast, faster than he should be. “Oh God, oh God, oh God.”

Sirius’ face went from cocky to concerned. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Here.” He held out his hand.

Remus took it without a second thought, clinging to it for dear life. He was going to die. He was sixteen, and he was going to die in an airplane, sitting next to a very hot person he didn’t know. Very much not the way he had thought he would go out.

“Breathe,” Sirius advised. “Take-off will be over soon and then it’s smooth sailing.”

Remus nodded, stiff. “I think I prefer the ground.”

“We’ll get there soon enough. It’s only a few hours.”

“A few?” Remus challenged. 10 hours was a lot more than a few. Oh God, he was going to die.

“Come on,” Sirius chided. “It’s not that long. Besides—you and me? Time will fly.”

Remus cursed his stupid fluttering heart.

The pressure eased slowly but surely, until it felt almost like he was in a very loud car. He wanted to delve back into the words of Douglas Adams, but he didn’t trust himself enough to let go of Sirius’ hand.

“So, umm,” Remus stammered. “Where are you going?” 

“Don’t you know? We’re going to the San Francisco airport,” Sirius reminded him.

“Wow. Thank you so much for that information,” Remus snarked. “Honestly, though. Why California?” His confidence and sanity were slowly returning to him. The sarcasm helped.

“My friend, Lily. She moved to, uhh,” he trailed off, thinking. “One of the San places. Not San Francisco, though. Her family moved a few years ago, but personally I think she begged her parents to leave purely to escape my friend James.”

“She doesn’t like him?”

“That’s what she wants us to think. She doesn’t know I know she calls him every night.”

Remus laughed. A relaxed, genuine, not-nervous laugh. Huh. That never happened on planes.

“What about you?” Sirius inquired.

“Family. They’re in some suburb of LA, I think.”

“They decent?”

“Dunno. Never met ‘em.” 

“Well, good luck,” Sirius said.

Remus smiled. “Thanks.”

Sirius hummed for a moment, looking to the side, lost in thought. “Do you wanna watch a movie together? I have good earbuds.”

Remus was positive his face was bright red. “Umm, sure.”

Sirius glanced at their hands, smirking. “I do actually need both hands to get them.”

“Right! Sorry!” He frantically pulled his hand away. God, he was such a moron.

Sirius rummaged through his bag and pulled out the earbuds. They spent the next few moments trying to figure out how the small screen worked and decided that Star Wars: A New Hope was the only decent option available, no matter how many times they had watched it already.

Remus slid the earbud in his ear and leaned in closer to Sirius to see the movie better. He let the movie whisk him away to a galaxy far, far away from the plane and heights and relatives he didn’t know. He got so invested in the film that he almost didn’t notice when Sirius intertwined their fingers again. 

~~~~~

Remus awoke to Sirius shaking his arm. Apparently they had just landed, and Remus had fallen asleep towards the end of the movie.

Okay, so maybe the flight hadn’t been that bad. He had had a nice conversation, and watched a good movie, and slept...

On Sirius’ shoulder. He had fallen asleep on Sirius’ shoulder.

He quickly sat up, mortified. Sirius didn’t seem to mind at all, though. They were still holding hands.

“Here, give me your phone,” Sirius said. “I’ll add my number. Here’s mine.” He handed Remus his phone, open to the contact he had already created.

Remus gave him his phone and started typing in his number before noticing what Sirius had entered as his name as. _Remus (cute guy on the plane)_. Remus’ heart soared.

They exchanged phones again and picked up their bags, watching the people in front of them slowly file out.

“Hey, umm. Thank you. For keeping me from freaking out,” Remus said.

“No problem. Anyone who likes _Hitchhiker’s Guide_ is worth talking to.”

Remus barked a laugh. “So _that’s_ why.”

They squished into the aisle and started walking towards the gate.

“Well, that and you’re pretty easy on the eyes,” Sirius admitted.

“You’re not too bad yourself.”

“Not bad?” Sirius argued. “I’m a fucking miracle.”

The two fell into a fit of laughter as they entered the airport.

Remus looked around. “I suppose this ends our conversation.”

Sirius nodded, sighing. “Text me soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.”


End file.
